3 minute read
Abstract
“Age is one of the greatest risk factors for developing dementia and as life expectancy is rising, the likelihood of people living longer and developing this condition is increasing.”1 Through understanding the problems that encompass old age, this proposal aims to respond to the needed professional care, beyond clinical care, that Alzheimer’s disorder (AD)/ Dementia patients require in Qatar. In Qatar, 4400 elderly, out of the 2+ percent elderly population (aged 60 years and up)2, have been diagnosed with AD/ Dementia.3 AD is a brain disease that causes disorientation, memory loss, and behavior changes. Often, AD leads to Dementia, a general term used to describe a decline in the ability to perform daily life actions.4
Some of the effects that Alzheimer’s has on the diagnosed elderly is major behavioral changes, therefore resulting in them losing their identity.5“Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are common and varied in the elderly.” “The most common symptoms of BPSD are apathy (36%), symptoms of depression (32%) and agitation/ aggression.”6 Some more specific symptoms of BPSD include hyperactivity, psychosis, and mood disturbances which display a range of aggression, irritability, hallucinations, anxiety and depression. An Alzheimer’s patient describes, “Everyday, 24/7, you have to fight through it, it never goes away. When you get up in the morning, it’s like someone has taken your brain, it’s an old file cabinet and spread all the files over the floor, and you have to put things back together.”7
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As AD has its own issues on the patient, it also provides challenges for the caregivers. The biggest problem that caregivers come across is a sense of pre-grief. This type of loss being described as loss of relationship, loss of closure, and loss of future with the diagnosed elderly. As the disorder affects the patient, it provides limitation to the caregivers’ lives and affects their personal and social life. Caregivers have found themselves having less time to perform any recreational activities, and in some cases, they’ve had to give up their jobs. As the caregivers give up their life to offer their best care, it is difficult for them to maintain patience toward the AD diagnosed patient. One caregiver mentions, “He gets on my nerves. I holler at him and I shouldn’t.” This conflicts with the ideology that the caregivers are trying to provide the best possible care while still not being able to meet a high standard of professional care.8
With understanding the effect of AD on both the patients and the caregivers, it is clear that the use of traditional home care does not provide the required care for the patients. The main objective of this proposal is to provide a space that serves as an elderly home to the AD diagnosed patient, as well as a clinical help center. As this space’s objective caters specifically to the AD diagnosed elderly, it also provides a service for the caregivers: a peace of mind. The interior space plays a big role on the patient and their AD related improvement. Some attributes that provide this improvement are belonging, meaningfulness, safety/security, and autonomy. Scholars put emphasis on the adaptation of physical and social environments, where the identity of the AD diagnosed elderly can be preserved and enhanced through the interior space.
1. Qatar National Dementia Plan. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.moph.gov.qa/Style%20Library/MOPH/Files/strategies/dementia/DEMENTIA%20SUMMARY%20E.pdf
2. HMC to survey prevalence of dementia in Qatar. (n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2020, from https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/24/09/2017/HMC-to-survey-prevalence-of-dementia-in-Qatar
3. Ministry of Public Health. (n.d.). Retrieved September 07, 2020, from https://www.moph.gov.qa/english/strategies/Supporting-Strategies-and-Frameworks/QatarNationalDementiaPlan/Pages/default. aspx
4. Dementia vs. Alzheimer’s Disease: What is the Difference? (n.d.). Retrieved September 07, 2020, from https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/difference-between-dementia-and-alzheimer-s
5. 10 Early Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer’s. (n.d.). Retrieved September 07, 2020, from https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/10_signs
6. Agnes Lindbo et al. “Dysphoric symptoms in relation to other behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, among elderly in nursing homes.” BMC geriatrics vol. 17,1 206. 7 Sep. 2017, doi:10.1186/s12877-017-0603-4
7. Large, S., & Slinger, R. (2013). Grief in caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia: A qualitative synthesis. Dementia, 14(2), 164-183. doi:10.1177/1471301213494511
8. Linn Hege Førsund et al. “The experience of lived space in persons with dementia: a systematic meta-synthesis.” BMC geriatrics vol. 18,1 33. 1 Feb. 2018, doi:10.1186/s12877-018-0728-0
